Arzoo’s blog

While on a trip, you should be aware about how to eat smart and be healthy. When you leave home till the time you are back, healthy food habits should be on your mind, so that the holiday season might become a source of joy for you.

Given below are some important tips on how to eat smart:

• The most important thing to remember, while on a holiday, is that you should never skip meals. Do not skip a lunch for a big dinner.
• Do not plan too many food-only events. Also enjoy walks, hikes, drives etc.
• Rid yourself of food items that you do not really need. Never push your eating limits.
• This you must be knowing that you should not eat sweets on an empty stomach.
• If you are going to a party, do not go with a strong appetite. And, even if you go too hungry, try to start with the vegetable platter.
• Remember: Do not say ‘Yes’ when you want to say ‘No’.
• While attending an event, try to stick to low-calorie vegetables and fruits.

When it comes to travelling with kids, stuffed animals prove to be great companions. Children, while in a strange

place, love to sleep with them and the best part is that these stuffed animals travel free. Besides, they do not object to unusual food and they do not have teeth to brush or face to wash.

But, whether it’s a pair of chubby penguins, a couple of bears or any other animal family, you should take care and know how to pack them easily.

Travel Tips for Your Travelling Stuffed Animals

• Take only those stuffed animals that do not take much space; leave bigger animals including giant bears, hippos and rhinos at home.
• Would you like to see your animal traveller ending up an expatriate? Surely, no. Therefore, do not carry the most treasured stuffed animals.
• Make sure the animal you are taking with you is washable. It should be a colour that does not show dirt. Avoid pure-white colour animals.
• Choose to pack your stuffed animals in your carry-on luggage. In case your checked luggage gets misplaced, your kids can still enjoy sleeping with their snug animal friends.

Never try to underestimate the importance of proper packing. The mood or the tone of the trip is set right from the time

you start packing and depends on the way you pack. Given below are a few tips if you want to pack like an expert.

1. Make a list of all the items you plan to take on your trip, both that you intend to pack and what you do not intend to.

 

2. Now try to find the items, which if removed, will lighten your load. Do you really need three pairs of shoes during your trip?

 

3. Remember to buy travel-size containers for your toiletries. You have the option of dropping into a local shop and restocking your supply, unless you are in a remote location.
4. Use ‘roll’ technique to pack your clothing. Make a flattened layer of two or three items. Roll them up to save space and avoid wrinkles. To avoid the least of wrinkles, you can also use a sheet heavy tissue between items of clothing before you roll them up.
5. Carry reusable compression bags to pack sweaters and underwear. These bags save space and lock in odors as well.

6.   Keep your toiletry containers in airtight plastic bags. If you got some breakable items, you can cushion them by wrapping your socks and pajamas around.

What if we add taste to travel? By adding taste I mean indulging in some good food and beverage. You visit forts,

palaces, museums and enjoy sports. But, do you have the slightest idea that food and beverage can prove to be equally interesting and culinary tourism is fast emerging as the hottest niche in the travel and tourism industry.

If you are visiting a country, you can come across a variety of unique food and drink items. Take India for example and you have got a wide range of ethnic and regional food to taste. Whether you head to the north, south, east or west, everywhere, you find some specialty dishes that have been attached to a particular region for ages.

And yes, you don?t need to be a foodie to start with your unique eat and drink experiences. Have you heard of the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA)? This unique organisation is comprised of members who truly realize and recognise the potential of culinary tourism.

For more information on culinary tourism, you can log on to Culinary Tourism

Of course, travelling is fun but travelling doesn’t always turn out to be as easy as you expect. Right from trip planning to lugging your luggage, there’s a lot that you needs to be taken care of. Long flights can also be sometimes irritating, but there’s no need to be agitated. All you need to do is remember the following tips that might prove to lessen the trip planning hassles and also prepare you for any surprises in store.

 

Keep the Service Numbers of your Travel Agents

The first and foremost things that you need to do is program your cell phone with the toll free service numbers of the travel agents, airline agents, car/coach rental service providers and credit card companies (also keep the speed dialing facilities on your phone activated).

 

Be Ready with Reading Material, Music Player etc.

You might face delays or long lines during your journey. So, you can carry plenty of reading material, your music player and crossword puzzles among other similar options. If you are travelling with kids, you can also bring along games and toys for them. You’ll also need formula and diapers for infants.

 

Avoid Airport Parking

During holidays, airport parking lots are usually overcrowded and slow moving. You can choose to take a shuttle and leave your car in an off-airport parking area.

 

Light Travel is Advisable

If you wish to travel light and avoid hassles caused by extra luggage, you can reduce your stress and extra costs by mailing the gifts beforehand. Two bags per passenger is a good and hassle free rule.

 

Fly on Christmas or the New Year’s Day

It is wise to travel on the Christmas Day or the New Year’s Day rather that travelling the day before. The day before, the planes will be packed and fairs would be more expensive as compared to on holidays itself.

 

It’s very important to know whether you take your trip as mere a journey or a complete travel experience. When you are journeying

you are actually getting from A to B. But, travelling is a different thing altogether. While you are travelling a country, you are on the look out for real life experiences. Experiences that let you discover a world beyond your own.

While you are travelling a country, you’ve got to be determined enough to explore the traditional and cultural aspects of that particular place. You should be looking for opportunities like participating in cultural functions, tasting region-specific cuisines, enjoying the modes of transportation, trying ethnic costumes and meeting with the natives among other similar activities.

For a layman a rail journey in India is just a matter of getting from one place to another. But for a traveller, a train journey happens to be one of the finest means to discover the real charm of being in India. You might be in the habit of taking tea for long, but in India, sipping a tea at the tea-seller’s shop is counted as an experience that brings you closer to the locals and their lifestyle.

While travelling, you should be in search of moments that could bring a laugh to belly and at times a tear to your eye. You’ve got to look at things from a traveller’s point of view. You need to get into the minds and hearts of people and understand what life is all about.

Travelling can reward you with lots of lifetime lessons that noone is ever going to teach you personally. So, next time when you are on a trip, keep your sights keener and senses sharper.

Happy travelling!

Does this question take you by surprise? Well, it should. Recent researches show that around 25% of the total

number of travellers are fugitives. Don’t widen up your eyes; it’s not because they are involved in some serious criminal activities. Think about it!

Why do we travel? Real travellers travel because they are compelled to do so by the laws of nature. They understand the laws of nature and wish to penetrate deeper into the natural phenomena. In males, travelling is simply a matter of instinct. Men who are travelling are known to follow genetic instructions: travel,propagate and run away.

Let’s take the example of Norway, beyond the Arctic Circle. Here, the travel-propagate-runaway process has attained the status of honourable tradition. Commonly known as Laplanders, these Norwegian communities have been continuously moving for centuries. Look at these communities; they have obscured themselves under thick winter clothing and are moving hidden behind the bodies of large reindeer. Isn’t it kind of wary?

Now, think about travellers and note the following points:

• They travel the whole world.
• They are out of work.
• They never stay in one place for long.
• And they dress shabbily.

They are actually trying to avoid the clutches of the law. Aren’t they fit to be called fugitives?